Woodlodge Products

Woodlodge Products, a Cotswolds-based gardenware supplier

Woodlodge Products Ltd. describes itself as the UK's leading supplier of garden pots, a position it frames around design and distribution of gardenware rather than retail. The company is a second-generation family business that has been trading since 1987 and states that its products reach more than 2,000 garden centres and retail outlets across the country. Its headquarters sit in Tetbury, in the heart of the Cotswolds, on a site covering over 100,000 square feet in the Gloucestershire countryside.

The operation is organised around wholesale supply to the gardening trade. Garden retailers can apply for a trade account through a dedicated trade portal, and the company maintains a UK showroom that opens for trade bookings arranged through the relevant local sales manager.

Outdoor pottery and an expanding product catalogue

Outdoor pottery remains the best-known part of the range, but the catalogue has widened alongside growing interest in gardening. The company now covers both outdoor living and indoor homewares, and it highlights several collections launched in recent years:

• Outdoor pots and planters, the core of the business.
• Indoor pots and indoor homewares, including the ROOT indoor collection.
• Furniture through the W Garden Living range.
• Seasonal lines under the Snowlodge Christmas range.
• Garden décor and other complementary categories.

Design work is presented as inspired by the natural world and horticulture, with the stated aim of producing gardenware suited to different spaces. Woodlodge says it works with selected suppliers and craftsmen internationally to obtain materials chosen to withstand outdoor conditions.

Logistics, merchandising and point of sale

Distribution relies on the company's own fleet, which it says provides fast national delivery and can access garden centres and retail outlets. Beyond moving stock, Woodlodge offers benching and display stand solutions intended to create a focal point in a store's plant area.

A team of 50 merchandisers works with garden retailers on displays designed to present each range effectively. The company also runs an in-house printing service for garden centres, producing point-of-sale material across its collections, and each range carries designed labels intended to inform shoppers at the point of purchase.

Staff and customer service

Team Woodlodge comprises more than 100 staff. The company presents personable, reliable service and on-time product availability as central to how it operates, and it links its supplier relationships to efforts to maximise retailers' sales of its products.

Energy, waste and packaging

The 100,000-square-foot site is powered by the company's own wind turbine, supplemented by electricity bought from a supplier; Woodlodge says the turbine has generated enough energy to brew 1.4 million cups of tea a year. On waste, cardboard and plastic packaging from products is separated and baled on site for recycling, and second-hand pallets are collected and reused for transport, distribution and storage. Some pot ranges are made from 100% recycled lightweight plastic. In the office, waste including ink cartridges, computer supplies and redundant equipment is reused or recycled, and the company says it actively seeks suppliers that share its waste-reduction approach.

Trade recognition

Woodlodge lists a series of industry awards received between 2017 and 2020, including GCA Associate Member of the Year in 2017 and 2020, GIMA GCA Supplier of the Year 2018, Hillier Supplier of the Year in 2018 and 2019, Choice Marketing Sundry Supplier of the Year in 2017 and 2019, and Dobbies Garden Centres Supplier of the Year 2017.

Community involvement

The company states that it supports charities and organisations within the gardening community, presenting this as one of the privileges of running a family business.